Chances are, You’ve been using Aluminum Foil all Wrong

It’s a sad but all too common story of the ‘roll that got away’: You open up a brand new box of shiny aluminum foil only to have it fall right out of the box when you attempt to tear off a sheet. In the arena of minor disturbances and mysteries, it is one of the most frustrating occurrences, particularly when you’re in a pinch and needing to quickly wrap eats and treats for preservation storage.

You think the company must have forgotten to design a mechanism for holding the roll in place, but somehow missed creating a simple remedy for the obvious glitch. Before you dream of inventing a brand new (not to mention patented and very lucrative) way of holding the wrap in place, I’m here to tell you that it’s been done. The mechanism has been there hidden from sight on the sides of the roll where you have missed it all these years.

Go ahead and have a look in your kitchen drawer. Most likely, right there on each side of the flashy rectangular box is the key to rock-solid aluminum foil staying-power: “Press to Lock Roll”…or some similar instruction that is equally helpful. Two perforated tabs pushed in will, in mere seconds, lock the roll in place! Try and push the locking tabs on the sides first thing after opening the box to ensure that the foil you purchased is indeed there in ship-shape.

Although you may be one of the many millions of people worldwide that have failed to secure their aluminum foil wrap before use, you can take solace in the fact that you are not alone and start enjoying the gift of greater efficiency that comes from having some inside, or rather outside edge, knowledge. This commonly applies to many brands of cellophane wrap too!

Since we’re on a roll, the next mystery we’ll solve is: Which side of aluminum foil should go on the outside of wrapped food? Spokeswoman for Reynolds Kitchens, Pat Schweitzer, says it really doesn’t matter when cooling food. And the difference when cooking food is so minimal with the shiny side attracting more heat that it doesn’t matter at all. Whew!